Sometimes i will stop and look at myself in the eyes of the student. Am I talking fast? Am I moving too fast? am I creating a picture for the student, or just speaking words from a power point?
1.)Learning from your peers.
2.)Attend professional development semianrs
3.)Stay current in your field of study (i.e. Chef Instructor- cook or volunteer at events to see the new trends or happenings.)
Hi Kimberly,
If you are excited about your work (teaching) then the students will get excited about the content since they will be entering their chosen field to create a future for themselves. Keep up the good work!
Gary
I can attend colleague’s classes, and see what they are doing that keeps the students interest in class. I can record myself teaching, that way I can hear me and see where I can improve. Also keep reading about the subject I am teaching, when you have the knowledge of what you are teaching you feel secure and project yourself with authority about that subject.
The best feeling ever as you described, is to love what you are doing. If you are there for the money only, this is the wrong business to be in. A simple "Thank you" from one of your students at the end of the course is a medal of honor for you. Remember to keep them smiling all the time. Learning with fun is much more effective than dry passive listening. They say that teaching is: three quarters theater and one quarter preparation. If you make your students learn through laughter, they will never be bored.
Great question. The process of reflection guides me to develop my style. Learning how people learn through observation and application allows me to experiment with different techniques based off of what works for me in a learning environment. Observing an instructor in their classroom gives me additional methods to try when I return to my room. Working with this new knowledge the fine tuning process continues until I find a style that fits my personality. Whatever technique you decide to use, reflection must be the key to unlocking your potential.
When I get up each morning, I am EXCITED about going to work. I never felt that way until I started teaching. I gain such fulfillment when I know that I am helping others fulfill their educational goals.
Assigning research to students for presentation to the class has been very useful in giving the students "ownership" of the subject matter. It is important however that the students be made aware of what is expected of them in this assignment. There must be consequences for the student that didn't put forth the effort. You must monitor the students while they are doing their research in order to keep them on track. This monitoring creates an atmosphere of instructor participation in their efforts and ensures completion of the assignment to the benefit of the entire class.
I have learned that all students do not learn in the same manner that i do. I have to acknowledge this and diversify instruction.
Sometimes we get into the habit of lecturing to often to learner because it is the easiest method but I have found it to be somewhat ineffective.
Shoot from the hip lecture & Q&A,then power-point step by step w/ open form Q&A demos/pass around T A's ,reviews! Sometimes structured accelerated learnings like letting students research subjects & come up with presentations in their own words as to how it works.
I can observe other Instructors' Style. I can seek Student feedback in what motivates them in an Instructor. I can read other responses to this question, which I have bee doing already.
Hi Jerry,
Well said. You are keeping your focus on the students and their needs. In addition, the rapport you are establishing with them is going to help you be an effective instructor.
Gary
Hi Jennifer,
There are a couple of way you can approach breaking the material down into "bite" size chunks. First, think about how you were taught. How did your instructors break the material down for you? Review any old notes or materials you have from the courses you have taken. I think you will find there are many strategies that you can use from these courses.
The other is to look at graphic organizers and see how you might use them to break the course content down. Go through and highlight the must know information and then decide how you are going to present that information. Make notes about how effective your presentations are and how well your students do on the tests. You will quickly start to see where the effective parts and the areas that you need to provide different ways of selecting and presenting the material.
The key is to make sure that you are not presenting too much information so they shut down.
Give it a try and if you have any questions let me know and I will be glad to help you.
Gary
Gary, as instructors we seem to at times talk over our students heads, to refine and enhance my style i will try talking to the student at there levels and try to take more interest in there personal lives. Let the student know that they are of value and that they will be rewarded for there hard work.
Jerry
Hello Steven, i to share your feelings of expectation of my students. one of the things that i will do is to talk to them about how the subject will benifit them and also how it will benifit there pocket books $$$. this will usually get them motivated.
Jerry
What I am really looking to gain out of this training is to how to condense a ton of information into organized class sessions so that my students will comprehend everything they need to. I have only been teaching for 8 months and so far, cutting the information down to "bite sized" pieces is the hard part. By giving them too much information, I know they will shut out and only remember a small portion of the information. I need to make sure what they are remembering is the most important information.
I feel from this far into the training program, I am seeing where I may be making mistakes on the way I teach a class and how to not try to be a pal to the students but more of a role model. However I do uphold professionalism everyday with the rules that are stated on the first day after a brief intro of myself and then doing a "Round Robin" with the students to ask a little about them and where they are from. So at this point, I have no questios for you, I am being a "sponge" from your training and getting as much as I possibly can.
First, by looking at my personal skills that I gathered through several years of experience. Second,look closely at my students' needs and goals and tailor my teaching techniques to such needs. For example, if I teach basic science for nursing students, I have to connect my subject matter to their future work skills
Hi Grace,
Welcome to the profession. You are going to do a great job with your students due to your dedication and willingness to learn about how to improve your teaching skills. Always look for way to expand your instructional expertise and you will have a most rewarding career as an educator.
Gary
Hi Kathy,
Talking to other professional educators is always a good idea. You can learn many positive things from them and even some things from those teachers that aren't very good. Meaning that you don't want to be like them.
By talking to them you are getting many different perspectives on how to deliver content and work with students, then you can select those that best work for you and your personality.
Gary
